Trailblazers Hall of Fame Inductee: Scott Autrey

The next 2018 Trailblazers Hall of Fame Inductee to be featured is Scott Autrey. He will be honored at the 74th annual Trailblazers banquet on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. Tickets go on sale here on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Scott Autrey was born July 9, 1953 in Maywood, California. Scott loved motorcycles and racing from an early age. His first race was at Perris in 1964, riding a Yamaha 80 with a GYT Kit. Autrey soon became a District 37 regular, racing often at Elsinore, Perris, and Bay Mare. He had a major victory when he won the 100cc class in the Rosarita Grand Prix in Mexico in 1968. In 1969 Scott became the ACA 125cc Champion at El Toro Raceway riding a Yamaha 125 twin. He repeated that title in 1970, plus added the 250cc Championship.

1971 was a busy year for Scott as he raced at Ascot, Daytona and the Southern California Speedway circuit. Riding a K&N Yamaha, Scott earned enough points to be tied for the Ascot Novice Championship with Scott Brelsford at the ½-way point of the season. He’d finished second at Daytona in the Novice Road Race and had the makings of a potential Grand National racer. All the while he was splitting his time between dirt track and speedway and was successful at both. Half-way through the season, Scott chose to focus on Speedway going forward.

In 1972, Scott turned his concentration to Speedway racing. He quickly became a top Speedway racer in the hotly contested Southern California circuits. He took a short break from Speedway in March to run the roadrace at Daytona, taking second place in the Junior class road race. Then it was back to Speedway where he also gained his first international experience racing Speedway in South Africa and Australia that year.

In 1973 Scott was recommended by the great Ivan Mauger to join the Exeter Falcons Speedway Team in England. Scott’s “high-line” style of racing was ideal for the fast Exeter ¼-mile home track and he was an almost instant success on the international Speedway scene in Europe. He raced full-time for the Exeter team from 1973 until 1979. He then joined the Swindom Robins Team in 1980, and the Poole Pirates Speedway Team in 1981-82 and was voted Team Captain.

All the while Scott was racing in Europe, he was in contention for the Speedway World Championship. He just missed the individual title in 1975, finishing second in the chase. In 1977 he won the Speedway Long Track Championship at Ascot. He won the coveted Speedway Golden Gauntlet Award three years in a row in 1978-79-80. In 1978 he took third in the Speedway World Championships. Then in 1982, Scott achieved the dream of winning a world title. That was the year Scott led the America Speedway Team along with Bruce Penhall, Bobby Schwartz, Kelly Moran, Shawn Moran to the 1982 Team World Championship. It was a great accomplishment and a crowning achievement to an amazing career.

During his career Scott was a successful dirt tracker, road racer and a World Champion Speedway racer. He retired from full-time racing at the end of 1982 after an amazing career that spanned nearly two decades.